Gospel news: Gideons' work promotes Gospel

Thursday

Jan 2, 2014 at 12:01 AMJan 2, 2014 at 4:51 PM

Jack Kimbro

Each year, Beverly and I look forward to going up to the Cleveland County Fair, eating ham biscuits at the Shriners eatery, strolling through the exhibits and, just maybe, riding a ride or two. We always enjoy the school, flower, canning and quilting exhibits, etc., as well as all the animals that are shown. It’s fun to just walk around in that atmosphere. Beverly was raised on a farm, you know.

Invariably each year, we run into several friends who offer us a Gideon Bible that I very much appreciate because it gives me an opportunity to pass it on to someone else. These local Christian men are affiliated with Gideons International out of Nashville, an association of business and professional men from 190 countries whose main purpose “is the promotion of the Gospel of Christ to all people to the end that they might come to know the Lord Jesus Christ as their personal Savior.”

To date, the Gideons, with the help of friends of many different churches and nations, have more than 100 years distributing close to 2 billion Bibles and New Testaments to motels, hotels, penal institutions, hospitals, the armed forces, the public nursing field, schools, fairs, etc., around the world.

I remember so well years ago when I was a school principal and the Gideons could come to the schools and distribute New Testaments to the fifth-grade students. I never saw a child refuse one, and they were happy to get them. (I will reluctantly refrain from giving my opinion regarding the forced discontinuation of that practice.)

Anyway, hats off to a wonderful Christian organization — the Gideons. To reach the Gideons locally, just look in your phone directory or visit www.gideons.org.

GOSPEL MUSIC NEWS: Well, this is news! Gaither Vocal Band announced last month that both Mark Lowry and Michael English are leaving the group. Both had continued their solo careers while singing with the band and apparently felt that it was time to move to another level. Don’t know yet who the replacements will be.

The Blackwood Brothers were inducted recently into the Memphis Music Hall of Fame. Other inductees included Johnny Cash and Albert King.